No Quarter
by otherside2
Summary: Severus Snape and Hermione Granger are spies for the Order, living in a Voldemort run Britain, who will triumph the good or the evil? or are there actually shades of grey?
1. Default Chapter

**_"Lock the door, kill the light."_**

It was the middle of the war with Voldemort. The ministry-run wizarding world had fallen under the shadow of the Dark Lords reign.  Cornelius Fudge, the Great Fool had led them to ruin.  Only a handful of wizards remained free, and with enough brains to provide the world with hope.  The Isle of Britain had been completely overtaken, and the muggles killed or fled across the water to a safer haven.  Great watchdogs of the Dark One guarded the shores.  Gargoyle like metallic beasts, with eyes ever watching as they prowled up and down the coasts, never sleeping.  They would snap up a wizard Apparating illegally into the island straight out of the air as easily as they caught someone attempting to swim ashore.

  
**_"No one's coming home tonight."_**

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            The Order of The Phoenix now resided a crossed the Irish Sea, and held the line at the Isle of Man.  There was but a handful left, among them Albus Dumbledore, Nyphradora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Neville Longbottom.  Voldemort had been greatly pleased by the fall of England, and did not seem compelled to broaden his empire further, although The Order knew he would move again in the next few years.

  
**_"The sun beats down and don't you know?   
All our lives are growing cold, oh...   
They bring news that must get through.   
To build a dream for me and you"_**

The traitor many times over, Severus Snape and his wife Hermione resided across the line, in Voldemorts Britannia.  No one knew which side he was on, perhaps not even Snape himself.  He had sacrificed the boy Harry Potter to the Dark One, so that earned him his esteemed place in the Dark Army.  And yet he continued to slip the Order of the Phoenix valuable information that had saved their lives time and time again.   
  


  
**_"Locked in a place where no one goes."_ **

**And so our story begins…**

Hermione Snape _ne_ Granger hated the life she was forced to live, in recluse within Hen Domen Castle. Severus had found the magical castle for her, it was beautiful and peaceful, and would have been perfect in a different life.  But it was no replacement for Hogwarts Castle, where Lord Voldemort now made his seat.  

Hermione was forced to come to Lord Voldemorts court one month out of every year, playing the great Countess with the nobility.  She made it through each April on the hope that she may overhear something valuable enough to risk sending across the sea to the Order.  

Severus, in his position as Earl of Snape and Cornwall learned much more by keeping his seat in the new Wizarding House of Lords, and through his work as a retired Elite Death Eater in charge of interrogating new recruits.

It was April 2012, and Hermione's young son Delaney Snape had just turned 10, and would be expected to arrive at court this year, for at age 11 he would be forced to join the Death Eater Academy at Kent.  Her daughter Sharra would turn 8 this year, and had begged to come along as well.  Hermione had relented, knowing this was the last year her family would spend together.  She did not know what would happen next year, when her and Severus would risk everything by sending Delaney away, to save their son from becoming a Death Eater.  Above all else, they would not allow this to happen.  Severus would rather kill them all then risk his son living the same type of life that he had.

            Hermione dawdled as she packed her family up, Severus finally coming up to see what was taking so long.

            Hermione sat on the edge of their bed, trying to hide her tears, as he swept into the room.  "Oh, love." He drew her into an awkward embrace, awkward even after twelve years of marriage.  "Its not any easier even as time passes, is it?"  He stroked her frizzy curls, as she managed to crawl into his lap, and burrow against his chest much like her daughter. Softly kissing the top of her head, he gave her what silent comfort he could.  

"I just don't want them to go there." Her voice was weary "Anywhere but straight to Him.  What if he can tell the truth about Delaney?"

            "He doesn't even begin to suspect.  He wonders about me sometimes of course, and he hates you for being a mudblood, but Delaney he accepts and doesn't question.  And Delaney is smart, he will not bring attention to himself that way.  He has met Voldemort several times before, and had always been the perfect young man."

            Hermione snuggled against her husband, and rubbed her cheek against the tiny buttons on his coat front.  No matter how bad it was, at least she still had Severus as her rock.  He had always been there for her, and she knew more than anything that he always would be.  They had chosen their exile together, and they had to keep up their part of The Order.   But it was so hard to have to raise their children this way.

            "Alright, I'm ready." She slid off of his lap, and gathered around herself the "mask" that she needed to face the world, as the Countess of Snape and Cornwall.  Severus's "mask" which was so long worn that it took him actual effort to remove it, remained unchanged. 

He shrunk their baggage, with a tap of his wand on each bag, and Hermione stored them in her knapsack, and they went to find their children.

"Lock the door, kill the light   
No one's coming home tonight   
  
It's getting colder   
Locked in a place where no one goes.   
  
They bring news that must get through.   
Dying for peace, in me and you   
  
Locked in a place where no one goes.   
  


We have no quarter   
We have no quarter   
We ask no quarter"

~Tool (Led Zepplin) "No Quarter"

~Authors note~ This story is a expansion of my songfic "lullaby" found on fanfiction.net, and I didn't really plan on writing it, but I sure am enjoying the alternate future idea as something different (maybe enjoy is the wrong word) in the SS/HG fandom

Feedback craved, good, bad or other, so I will feel justified in spending way to much time writing 

I do not own any part of Harry Potter, Tool, or anything that might actually make me rich


	2. A trip to Hogwarts

Hogwarts Castle had transformed from being a simple dark and foreboding castle, into being evilly sinister, with a palpable deep malice to it.  Voldemort himself liked the effect, although he knew the malice was being directed at him, he refused to fear it.  Living in Hogwarts Castle proclaimed his mockery of Albus Dumbledore, and all that the great wizard had lost to the power of the Dark Army.  The magical pictures had all been burned, the class rooms turned into meeting places for his Death Eaters, the dungeons restored to their original purpose.  The castle had tried several times to rebel, but Voldemort had subdued it under powerful dark magic, and allowed the Forbidden Forest to overrun its grounds.

            The centaurs had been too proud to the last, and had refused to join with the humans in the fight against the Dark One.  Voldemort had won the battle against their herds as well, and kept them magically contained for his amusement in the dark woods.  They were kept chained and stabled to be poked and prodded and experimented on.  The unicorns seemed to have disappeared entirely.  The dark denizens of the forest-the hags, Acromantula, and trolls were much more numerous.

Hermione refused to venture outside of Hogwarts when she visited.  She still felt safe within its walls, as if it somehow recognized her from all the rest as still being a friend.  She could feel it's anger, but it was never turned toward her, only a light hopeful touch every now and then that made her strengthen her resolve to complete her mission.

Marchioness Cho Malfoy was her only friend at court, and met her and her family at the portkey entrance when they arrived at Hogwarts.

"Hermione!" Cho greeted her and hugged her old schoolmate, as far around as her expanding belly would allow.  Hermione was happy to see her friend, but she could tell something was wrong by the sparkle that was missing from Cho's eyes.

Cho caught Hermione's worried expression, and whispered into her ear "I will talk to you later."  Pulling back, she laughed as if she had just shared an amusing secret, and reached down awkwardly over her girth, to hug little Sharra, who had wrapped about her legs.  "When you all get unpacked you must come to see your cousins, they've been waiting to have more players for quidditch."

Delaney perked up at this.  He had not wanted to come to court, for fear it would be "boring".  "Da finally let me use my Firebolt this spring, he says I'm good enough to fly it now!" Cho managed to smile, as the boy held up his prize possession for her to inspect.  But Hermione could tell she had recognized it as Harry's old broom, and wondered if anyone else would notice the gift Harry had passed on to his godson and heir.  Well, she reasoned, if they did the bastards would probably think it amusing that the boy was riding the broomstick of the man his father had "deceived" and killed.

"Alright, son you'll be able to play soon enough." Severus admonished Delaney as the little boy looked ready to hop on the broomstick right there and show off.  "We have our usual quarters Lady Malfoy?

"Yes, Lord Snape, and Draco wanted me to tell you there will be a meeting starting at 4 that you should try to make an appearance at.Voldemort is getting restless again."

Severus merely nodded and led his family into the castle to their rooms.  Hermione was saddened that this was the Hogwarts her children had to see for the first time.  She remembered her delight and awe at Hogwarts the first time she had seen it in person, and had dedicated her time to memorizing everything she could from "Hogwarts, A History"

Now she saw her children silent, not in awe but in fear of the interior of the castle.  The paintings now were of each of the Death Eaters, and depicted the deeds the Dark Lord praised them for, the slaughter of muggles and wizards that opposed them.  She found her children were now squeezing each of her hands tightly, and their palms were icy cold. 

"Da and mum are in that one."  Delaney told his little sister, and pointed to the biggest painting, set directly in front of them as they came in the entranceway.  It was designed so you could not miss it, and it depicted Lord Voldemort slitting the throat of Harry Potter, while his loyal servants held the struggling young man still.  Severus Snape was depicted overlooking the sacrifice with a haughty expression, and Hermione was by his side. The painting was very dark, but beautifully painted, the figures lush and overdone.  Hermione managed to not look at it as she steered her family to the staircase.

Severus and Hermione had many up and down moments with their children, wanting them to grow up strong and brave, tolerant and knowing the difference between right and wrong.  It worked in the beginning to simply keep them within Hen Domen Castle, and pretend to be a normal family, and hope their children would never forget what life was like when they were young and innocent. 

But it was hard to keep out the evil, as it slowly overtook all of Britain.  Severus managed to keep himself from fighting directly in the battles, by taking a chief advisor role in recruitment, to spend more time with his family.  He was an especially cruel drill sergeant, and the Dark Lord was well pleased.  

"Why did you let Lord Voldemort kill that man?" Delaney whispered to his mum, as they waited for the next staircase to swing back their way.

"Sometimes, darlings, there are things that you have to do, even if you don't want too.  Remember how I told you we would have to play "pretend" here all the time?"  Hermione whispered back to her children, they nodded, wide-eyed, "That picture is "pretend" also."

Sharra's small face looked much too old as she turned back to look at the picture.  Since they were born Hermione had schooled her children in the game of "pretend", where you had to pretend to be mean, and to like certain people.  That sometimes you did things that were bad, because you were "pretending", but you only did bad things if mum said too.  You had to "pretend" or daddy and mummy would get very angry.  Delaney had little problem differentiating between "pretend" and real, but little Sharra had difficulty walking that fine line in learning right and wrong in her mixed up world.

The staircase swung into place, and they came face to face with Percy Weasley.  He bowed a deep pompous bow.  "My Lord Snape," he turned and nodded his sleek head over Hermione's outstretched hand, "Lady Snape.  

Percy Weasley was one of their least favorite acquaintances, a turncoat of the worst kind.  He had drifted back and forth over the years, hanging onto the shirttails of whatever side was winning.  Recently promoted to undersecretary to Voldemort after his last defection (which had been carefully orchestrated by the Dark One himself, and unknown to Percy, to feed false information to the Order).  Percy was as bad as Wormtail.  

"Master Weasley, how are your reports for me coming?"  Severus inquired, in an affected bored tone.  "You were late with them last week, and I was astonished at your lack of detail.  From now one I expect better from you."  Percy swallowed the retort burning in his mouth at Severus's treatment of him as a schoolboy. Hermione tried not to smile.

"Poncy Toff" Severus muttered to her, as they climbed up the stairs past Percy.


End file.
